The Prince and the Pharmacist
by Help I'm Shipper Trash
Summary: When ordinary pharmacist Yuuri Katsuki is ordered by Prince Cristophe Giacometti to be his escort, Yuuri panics and decides his only hope is to flee the country. On the run, he stumbles across a kind, silver haired stranger. Victor Nikiforov is instantly fascinated with the pharmacist, and wants nothing more than to help. His attendants, Yuri and Otabek, are less than thrilled.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Notes:** Hi! This is an Akagami no Shriayuki-hime Yoi au, kind of, and I would just like to inform you that I have only the vaugest of ideas about where I'm going with this.

* * *

"Mirror mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" the crowned Prince, Christophe Giacometti asked, sweeping his hand into the air with a flourish. He smiled expectantly, despite the silence that had suddenly enveloped the throne room.

"Um, your majesty?" The young royal messenger tentatively broke the quiet. "Forgive me for asking, but why exactly are you referring to me as a mirror?"

The Prince grinned.

"Clever, isn't it? Since you tell me what you see in the town, it essentially makes you my mirror, does it not?"

The young boy simply nodded, deciding that silence was his best option.

"Your majesty. We hardly have time for such ridiculous displays." The prince's unamused attendant interrupted, not batting an eyelash when the Prince pouted theatrically. "And besides, why are you even looking for, 'the fairest of them all'?

Christophe sighed, dropped his pout, and lowered himself back into his throne, propping his head up with his arm. A mischievous glint shone in his eyes.

"Because I'm bored. I want someone to play with."

The attendant and the royal messanger both grimaced. The prince's words could have been innocent, had it not been for the way he smirked and suggestively licked his lips.

"So, do you have an answer to my question?" Christophe asked, turning his attention back to the young messenger.

The boy swallowed nervously, but shakily nodded his head.

"I believe so, your majesty. There is a pharmacist in the town. He is apparently young and attractive, and very kind.

Christophe leaned forward in his seat, eyes shining with interest.

"Oh, how intriguing. Do tell me more."

* * *

"Thank you, please come again!" a boy with messy dark hair and glasses bowed and waved cheerfully as yet another customer exited his shop.

A scoff came from a figure seated at one of the worn wooden tables strewn about the room.

"Wow Yuuri, you're way too nice. That guy was an asshole." The boy's companion, a girl with brown hair up in a ponytail, stated bluntly.

Yuuri looked up and smiled at his friend, shaking his head.

"Don't say that, Yuuko, his wife was sick. I think I'd be a little grumpy too." He said calmly, beginning to clean up the mess that had formed while making the medication his customer had required.

"Yuuri." Yuuko huffed in fond exasperation at her friend. "That doesn't give him an excuse for being a jerk. I mean, Takeshi is sick right now, but you don't hear me yelling at you, do you?"

The boy paused in his cleaning, and opened his mouth to argue, but closed it when he realized the truth of her words.

"I guess you have a point." He admitted, adjusting his glasses sheepishly.

Yuuko grinned triumphantly.

"By the way, speaking of Takeshi, shouldn't you be getting back to him? Not that I don't appreciate it, but you don't have to hang around here with me. I'll be closing up soon anyway." Yuuri reassured her. Yuuko's smile softened.

"First of all, I know I don't have to, but you're my friend, so I want to." she said, standing up and walking over to Yuuri and ruffling his hair. She laughed as the boy lightly smacked her hands away, and let out a distressed sound.

"Second of all, you're probably right. I had better go and make sure he hasn't died of boredom." She joked, walking towards the door. At the exit, she paused, and looked over her shoulder. "Be careful, Yuuri, you really are too nice. I worry about you."

The boy rolled his eyes good naturedly, and made shooing motions at the girl.

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm too nice and everybody's out to get me, right?" he asked teasingly as Yuuko stuck her tongue out at him before walking out the door. "Bye, Yuuko!" he called just before the door closed.

There was an indistinguishable response shouted back, and Yuuri shook his head and smiled fondly at his friend's antics.

Finding himself alone once again, the boy turned his attention back to his workplace, and put his hands on his hips. All that was left for him to do before he could leave for the night, was finish cleaning the mess he had made earlier, and take stock of his inventory to make sure he wasn't low on supplies.

Easy!

Yuuri hummed quietly to himself as he quickly cleared away the remaining clutter around his work station. After he was done with that, he went to his supply closet, and made a list of all the plants he needed to gather.

He was so absorbed in his work that he hardly registered the ring of the bell signaling that somebody had entered his shop.

"Yuuko? Is that you? Did you forget something?" he asked, not turning around.

"Are you Yuuri Katsuki?" a harsh and unfamiliar voice demanded.

Yuuri froze, his heart skipping a beat, and slowly turned to face the man who had just spoken. He was wearing a uniform from the palace, and seemed to be carrying a letter of some sort. The letter was stamped with the official seal of the royal family. Dread pooled in Yuuri's stomach.

"Yes, I'm… I'm Yuuri. Can I help you with something? I'm sorry, I was just about to close-"

"You are hereby summoned to the castle, by order of the Prince." The blank faced man thrust the letter into the boy's face.

Yuuri's eyes widened in shock, and he let out an involuntary gasp. Wordlessly, he slowly reached out to take the letter with shaking hands.

"Excuse me, I don't understand. I-"

"Prince Christophe Giacometti has generously decided to make you his escort. You are expected to arrive at the palace no later than tomorrow morning. Failure to follow these instructions will have consequences. Do you understand?"

 _Escort?_

Yuuri's heart was pounding painfully in his chest, and his ears seemed to be ringing. What was happening? Surely this had to be a mistake. What could the Prince possibly want with _him_ , of all people?

"I'm sorry, I think…" choked words escaped his lips. "I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding. I mean, I'm hardly _escort_ material. I'm just a pharmacist. I would only be an embarrassment to the Prince." He said, desperation tinting his voice.

In the first visable display of emotion since he arrived, the man's lips curled in distaste.

"True though that may be, the Prince has inexplicably selected you and you alone to be his escort. You should be grateful, commoner." He said sharply, eyes cold.

Yuuri flinched.

"I advise you to be at the castle bright and early tomorrow." The man said, conspicuously resting his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword.

Yuuri swallowed hard, and was certain that his heart, which had previously threatened to beat out of his chest, had stopped.

Seeing that he would be getting no more conversation out of the pharmacist, the man turned on his heel, and left without another word.

The ringing of the bell above the door seemed to snap Yuuri out of his frozen state, and he jerkily ran across the room and locked the door.

He stood still for a moment, attempting to process the shocking events that had just occurred.

 _Escort._

Yuuri noticed, almost absentmindedly, that his legs were shaking uncontrollably.

 _Escort._

A sharp exhale tore itself from Yuuri's lungs, and his furiously trembling legs gave out on him.

 _Escort._

He collapsed to the floor, landing hard on his knees, and leaned his head against the door.

 _Escort._

Yuuri couldn't breathe. He tried his best, but no matter what he did, he couldn't seem to catch his breath. Harsh, ragged gasps were all he could manage.

 _Escort._

His hands were shaking, but when he brought them to his face to try to steady them, they came away wet with tears.

He remained like that for what seemed like ages, before he finally managed to get his breathing somewhat under control. Some small part of him noted that the sun had gone down.

After a few more moments, he shakily forced himself back to his feet. He wiped his eyes and cleaned his glasses, which had been stained with tears, and knew one thing.

Yuuri had to leave.

* * *

 **Authors Notes:** This is just a sample of the first chapter. Based on the response, I may or may not continue this. If I do continue, the next chapter will cover the rest of the events of the first episode of AnS. After that, there will be one chapter per episode, and they'll be much longer. But I did have a lot of fun writing this, so I hope to return with another chapter soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** So, um, first of all I would just like to say: Thank You! I was blown away by everyone's awesome and super sweet response to the first chapter of this mess of a fic and I totally didn't cry at all of your encouraging reviews. Nope. Not even a little. Second of all... What. Happened? This was? Not supposed to be this long? Oh well, what can you do? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ One more thing: because I am not creative, I used a fake country name generator to get names for the countries I'll be using in this fic. Yuuri's home country/kingdom is called Northsilver, and Victor's home country/kingdom is named Crystalbridge.

* * *

Yuuri Katsuki had lived in the charming country of Northsilver for all of his life.

It was where he grew up.

It was where he had met Yuuko, and Takeshi, and made his first true friends.

And it was where he had first begun to learn about medicines, and discover his talent as a pharmacist.

By all definitions, it was home.

And now, he was leaving; without even saying goodbye.

Yuuri looked at the night sky out of his window, pausing briefly in his current task of making medicine for his customers one last time, and noticed with a jolt of surprise, that it would be dawn soon.

He was running out of time.

Yuuri removed his glasses briefly, rubbing his tired eyes before replacing them. He wasn't quite happy with the rather small amount of medicine he had managed to make, but time was not on his side, so it would have to do. A wave of weariness swept through him, and he sighed.

"I just hope it's enough." He mumbled to himself.

Shaking his head, Yuuri gathered the medicine, and carefully placed it in the almost invisible drawer of his desk. It was a place that not many would look, but he knew Yuuko would find it, and he trusted her to know what to do.

When the medicine had been secured, he grabbed the bag he used for travelling, and went over to his supply closet. It had been almost emptied, but he still had some bandages, and some healing ointments. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Yuuri quickly filled the bag with all of his remaining medical supplies, and turned to walk towards his door. Before he left his shop, he noticed his cloak hanging off of a hook next to the door. He paused.

A cloak was surely a good idea. He didn't know how long he would be traveling, and it may get cold. It would also help in concealing his identity. He should take it.

' _Liar.'_ his mind whispered traitorously. _'That's not why. You just want it because it was a gift from Yuuko and Takeshi.'_ He couldn't argue. It was true after all.

Decision made, he swiftly pulled the cloak from the hook and onto himself. It still fit perfectly. His heart squeezed.

He took in a deep breath, and released it slowly, as he twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. Stepping out into the surprisingly cool night air, he paused.

From just outside the doorway, Yuuri looked around the shop where he had lived and worked for longer than he could remember. His eyes stung.

"Goodbye."

The door closed softly.

' _I'm sorry.'_

* * *

Yuuri was exhausted. And hungry.

In the panicked state he had been in the other night, he had understandably not considered every single thing necessary for properly running away. However, in his haste, he had forgotten a few items that _may_ have been somewhat important, like food and money.

Well, he had luckily found _some_ money that he had overlooked tucked away into the pocket of his cloak, but as he was more concerned with putting as much distance between him and Northsilver as possible, he had spent the little money he had on transportation.

Then he had gotten a little lost, and now he was… somewhere in a forest.

Great.

Yuuri's stomach growled, and he sighed. When was the last time he had eaten? He couldn't really remember.

' _I should have thought this out better.'_ He thought mournfully, as images of katsudon, his favorite food, danced mockingly throughout his head.

Yuuri sighed again.

He decided he would keep walking until the sun went down, and then, if he still hadn't found a place to stay, he would just curl up under the nearest tree. He knew it wasn't the best idea, but he was so tired that he really couldn't bring himself to care. He forced himself to keep moving, stumbling every once in awhile.

A few hours later, the sun had begun its' descent, and Yuuri had just resigned himself to actually sleeping under a tree, when he noticed what appeared to be a building in the distance. It wasn't exactly close, but if he hurried, he'd reach it just before it got dark.

As he walked towards it, Yuuri weighed the cons of not knowing who lived in the mysterious house in the woods, and the possibility that they may be serial killers, and the pros of maybe finding a place to sleep, and some food.

Yuuri walked faster.

Soon enough he had neared the house, and was able to determine that it was not, in fact, a house, but a _mansion._ It was at least three stories tall, and a large stone wall surrounding the building easily extended beyond Yuuri's line of sight.

' _Please let them have a room. And food.'_ Yuuri crossed his fingers, and slowly approached the front door.

"Um, hello?" he called uncertainly, knocking tentatively on the large wooden door. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I seem to be a little lost."

There was no response.

"Hello? Is there anybody here?" he called out again. Silence was the only answer.

' _I knew it was too good to be true.'_ Yuuri's shoulders slumped.

All of a sudden he felt drained, and an intense wave of fatigue crashed into him, and he swayed dangerously. He hadn't slept or eaten properly since he'd run away two days ago. Or was it three? He couldn't remember.

He stumbled over to a corner of the stone wall. It was secure, if nothing else, and Yuuri gratefully shrugged off his bag, and curled into a ball. Tucking the bag under his head as a makeshift pillow, he smiled wryly to himself.

' _Well, it beats sleeping under a tree, I guess.'_ was his last thought, before his eyes drooped shut, and he finally sank into sleep. "Yuri, Otabek, I'm going on ahead!"

Somebody was shouting.

Yuuri's eyebrows furrowed and his nose wrinkled. He rolled onto his side, and tried to ignore the loud noises and go back to sleep.

"Victor, you idiot! Wait for us!"

Yuuri's eyes flew open, and he sat up with a gasp, almost hitting his head on the stone wall he had fallen asleep next to. His glasses dangled haphazardly off of his face.

 _Somebody was shouting._

Yuuri scrambled to grab his bag, clutching it to his chest, and straightened his glasses. He tucked himself tightly into the corner.

' _Maybe they won't see me.'_ He thought desperately, searching for the source of the shouting with wild eyes. He didn't have to look for long though, because all of a sudden, somebody was soaring over the wall.

Yuuri froze.

Golden sunlight reflected perfectly off of shining silver hair. A smile bright enough to put the stars to shame and steal the air from Yuuri's lungs adorned their face. And their eyes…

 _Their eyes._

Full of warmth and joy, and blue enough to rival the clearest sky. Gleaming with life, captivating,

 _Beautiful._

' _Is this… an angel?'_

The spell was broken when the person caught sight of Yuuri huddled in the corner, let out a gasp of surprise upon noticing him, and fell rather ungracefully to the ground with a loud thud.

Yuuri blinked rapidly, still a bit dazed, and winced. _'Ouch, that looks like it hurt.'_

The other person let out a groan, and slowly sat up, raising a hand to rub his forehead. "Ow! Well, that could have gone better."

Yuuri silently agreed.

"Victor!" another voice called out, as a boy with blond hair tied into a low ponytail that fell over his shoulder came around the entrance of the stone wall, followed closely by a taller, dark haired boy.

"Did you fall?" the blond raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

The silver haired boy huffed, standing up and brushing the dirt off of his pants. "Hey! It wasn't my fault, I got distracted." He said defensively, practically pouting.

Quietly, crawling so as not to draw any attention to himself, Yuuri began trying to sneak away from the three newcomers.

"Moron." the blond rolled his eyes, his dark haired companion remaining silent. "This is why you should have waited for us. And what could have possibly distracted you so much…" he trailed off.

Surprised green eyes locked onto startled brown. The blond scowled. Yuuri's eyes widened.

' _Uh oh.'_

"Hey, you! Who are you? What are you doing here?" he demanded, stomping to stand in front of Yuuri firmly, staring down at him distrustfully.

"Um, I'm… I'm sorry…" Yuuri choked out, clutching his bag even more tightly. "I just, I got lost and wound up here by accident." The blond's scowl deepened.

"Calm down, Yuri. You're scaring him." The silver haired boy said, coming to stand closer to the two.

"I don't give a damn!" the blond exclaimed, his eyes never leaving Yuuri. "What if he's lying? We don't know who this guy is, or why he's hanging around here, of all places. He could be a spy! He could-"

"Yuri." The silver haired boy's voice was sharp, and there was a warning flashing in his eyes. "I appreciate your concern, but it is quite unnecessary at the moment."

It was a clear dismissal, and the blond's eyes widened in shock. He looked incredulous, and maybe a bit hurt. It didn't last long, however, and he quickly narrowed his eyes again. "Fine. But if he tries _anything,_ he's gone." he gestured to Yuuri.

The silver haired boy agreed with a nod.

The blond backed away to stand next to the dark haired boy who had not said a word throughout all of this, and they began speaking in hushed whispers.

The silver haired boy sighed, and turned his attention back to Yuuri, kneeling to the ground so that they were the same height.

He smiled.

Yuuri's breath hitched.

"Hello. Please forgive us for our rudeness, Yuri is… not the best, when it comes to dealing with people. I'm sorry if we frightened you." He said gently, voice sincere.

Despite his better judgement, Yuuri felt himself relax slightly.

"Let's try this again, shall we? My name is Victor. What's your name?" he asked, holding a hand out to the boy in the corner.

Yuuri blinked.

He knew that this was the part where he was supposed to shake Victor's hand, and that he was being rude in not doing so, but he couldn't help it. His attention had been stolen by a large and quickly darkening mark on the other boy's wrist.

' _He must have gotten it when he fell.'_ Yuuri thought absently. Apparently he had been taking too long to respond, because Victor's expression became concerned.

"Hey, are you okay? Look, I really am sorry if-"

"You hurt your arm."

Surprise crossed Victor's face at the softly spoken words, and he pulled his arm away from Yuuri, quickly finding the newly formed bruise. "Ah, so it would appear. I hadn't even noticed." He said airily, smiling once again.

Yuuri bit his lip. "I… I can fix it for you, if you want. I'm a pharmacist." He said nervously.

Victor looked amazed, and his smile brightened, if that was possible. "Really, you're a pharmacist? But you look so young! Wow, you must be really talented." He said enthusiastically.

Before Yuuri could begin to protest that he wasn't really all that special, Victor held his hand out to him again. "In that case, if you don't mind, I would be very grateful if you could patch me up." He winked

Yuuri blushed, but nodded hesitantly, and slowly reached out to take Victor's hand.

Right as their fingertips brushed though, the fierce blond from earlier spat a curse, and jogged back to Victor's side, this time accompanied by his silent companion.

"Hey, don't touch him!" he glared at Yuuri. "And you, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Why do you have to make my life so difficult?" he snapped at Victor.

Yuuri jerked his hand away from Victor's faster than a bolt of lightning. Victor frowned at the blond. "It's okay, Yuri, he's a pharmacist. He noticed that I had injured my arm, and offered to fix it. I gave him permission." He explained.

This only seemed to make the boy angrier, and as he ground his teeth and tugged at his ponytail harshly, Yuuri briefly worried about his blood pressure.

"No, it is _not_ okay, you moron!" The blond scoffed, and turned his back on Victor. Glaring, he fumbled with something near his waist, before producing a sword, and raising it to point at Yuuri accusingly.

' _Wait a minute, where did he get a sword?'_ Yuuri thought wildly. A quick glance revealed that the quiet dark haired boy, and even Victor, were carrying swords as well. _'Did they have those this whole time? How did I not notice before?'_ Yuuri cursed himself for his obliviousness.

"We don't know anything about this person! He could be trying to poison you, for all we know!" the blond shouted.

Yuuri, only slightly panicking, had to admit that he had a good point. _'I guess I'll have to convince them that I just want to help.'_ He decided. Focusing on the, thankfully sheathed, sword in front of him, Yuuri thought of a way to prove his intentions. ' _This, is a very bad idea.'_ He thought briefly, before drawing in a breath, and feeling determination fill him. Before he could talk himself out of it, he reached out, and grabbed hold of the edge of the sword.

"Hey!" the blond yelled. "Let go of-"

Yuuri tightened his grip, and brought the sword down on his arm, hard.

Victor looked horrified.

The blond looked stunned.

The silent, dark haired boy merely raised an eyebrow.

Yuuri grit his teeth, biting back a gasp of pain. Slowly, with shaking hands, he opened his bag, and pulled out some bandages and one of the jars of healing creams he had packed. He applied the cream to the angry red skin of his self inflicted wound, and wrapped it up. He let out a breath of relief, and raised his chin, looking directly into the blond's shocked eyes.

"It's Yuri, right? Funny, that's my name, too. Sorry to disappoint, but I don't make a habit of poisoning myself, or people I just met."

Surprise contorted the blond's face, and he stumbled back, lowering his sword reflexively. The dark haired boy looked amused at his shocked expression.

Victor, who had previously looked horrified, blinked, snorted once, and doubled over, bursting into laughter. "Oh my goodness! Yuri, the look on your face right now!" he wheezed, shoulders shaking.

Yuri looked outraged at being laughed at, and opened his mouth, presumably to shout at Victor. Before he could though, his dark haired friend, who still had yet to say a word, moved closer, placed a hand on top of his head, and softly pet his blond hair.

Yuuri half expected him to launch into an angry tirade about being treated like a docile kitten, but instead, the strangest thing happened:

Yuri froze, and all of the anger in his expression seemed to leave him in an instant. He was now subdued for the most part, but he still wore a visible pout. This only served to make Victor laugh harder.

Yuuri watched in silent bewilderment.

' _Just who are these people, exactly?'_

Eventually, Victor's breathless laughter slowed, before finally stopping. Straightening up and wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, he beamed at Yuuri, and walked to stand in front of him. "Alright, it's official." Victor grinned, his cheeks flushed with laughter. "I like you very much, Yuuri."

Yuuri blinked in shock, but hesitantly returned Victor's bright smile with a small one of his own.

"Now then," Victor said, holding out a hand to Yuuri once again. "I do believe that you mentioned fixing my arm? If you still want to, that is."

Yuuri nodded, but before he could reach out and take Victor's hand, his stomach growled embarrassingly loudly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten for quite a while. "I'm sorry." Yuuri winced, pressing his hands to his empty stomach. "I'm a little hungry, I guess."

Victor's smile became teasing. "I can tell. How about we get you some food? It's only fair, considering how rude we were to you earlier." He sent a pointed gaze to Yuri, who was still too subdued to do more that let out a halfhearted protest.

"Oh no, really, I'm-" Yuuri began, before being cut off by another loud rumble. He glared at his stomach traitorously.

Victor raised an eyebrow knowingly.

Yuuri sighed, defeated. "Yes please, food would be nice." He admitted sheepishly.

* * *

"So, Yuuri." Victor said, running his fingers over the bandages that had been tightly wrapped around his wrist, despite the pharmacist's warnings not to touch them.

The two of them were currently seated on a rather comfortable sofa, now inside of the mansion that Yuuri had fallen asleep in front of last night. He had been reluctant to enter at first, fearing upsetting the people that lived there, but Victor had reassured him that it was quite abandoned.

"Yes?" Yuuri's eyes halted in their exploration of the spacious room they were all now in, and turned to look at Victor curiously.

Yuri, who was now drastically less hostile that before, and his mysterious dark haired friend, who's name Yuuri had learned was Otabek, were sitting at a table close by, completely engrossed in a game of chess. Yuuri wasn't certain, but he suspected that Otabek was letting the blond win.

"Want to tell me why such a talented pharmacist like yourself ran away from home and ended up lost and without food in the middle of the forest?" Victor asked, frowning. He had been absolutely horrified when Yuuri had accidently let it slip that he hadn't eaten for a few days, and had insisted that the pharmacist eat before tending to his arm.

Yuuri tensed, and absently removed his glasses, cleaning the lenses before replacing them. "That's... a long story. And not a very interesting one." He said carefully, forcing a smile. How exactly did one explain that they had been ordered to become an escort to a Prince?

Victor didn't look convinced, but he also didn't press for answers, so Yuuri was grateful.

"Excuse me, I think I need some air." Yuuri said, standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder. It wasn't a lie. The air in the room had suddenly gone stale. He felt constricted. He needed to escape.

Victor quickly got to his feet as well. "I was just thinking that a walk sounded lovely. Do you mind if I join you?"

' _Yes, I do mind as a matter of fact.'_ Yuuri thought, biting the corner of his bottom lip. But he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud, so instead he shook his head. Victor sent Yuuri a smile that looked almost relieved, as if he had been expecting his offer to be declined.

Together, they exited the mansion; receiving only a vague glance of suspicion from Yuri before his attention was recaptured by Otabek.

Yuuri felt much better outside. The slightly cool forest breeze was very refreshing, and he breathed deeply, allowing his frazzled nerves to be soothed.

Victor seemed to be content with not saying anything, so the two of them simply walked together in silence.

After a while, Yuuri surprised himself by being the first to break the quiet. "Why did you come with me?" he asked curiously.

Victor looked taken off guard at the initiation of conversation, but he recovered quickly. "Well, it wouldn't have been very chivalrous of me to let you wander around the woods on your own." He said, not missing a beat.

"How noble of you." Yuuri said, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "But you don't have to worry about me. I've always liked the forest, and I went camping a lot when I was training to become a pharmacist. I don't think there's any place I feel safer." He said, tilting his face upward into a gust of wind, allowing it to toy with his hair.

"I see." Victor said, sitting down and leaning against the trunk of a large tree. He patted the ground beside him, motioning for the pharmacist to join him.

Yuuri obliged, resting against the tree as well. A peaceful silence fell between the two, sounds of wind, rustling leaves, and chirping birds filling the air.

Eventually, Victor spoke. "Yuuri?" he asked, turning to sit so that he was facing the pharmacist.

Yuuri hummed to acknowledge that he had heard him.

"Be honest with me. Why did you run away from home?" Victor's voice was serious, but not accusing.

Yuuri's heart skipped a beat, and he jerked his head to look at him with wide eyes.

"You're from Northsilver, right? That's awfully far from here." Victor said.

Biting down on his rising panic, Yuuri forced himself to speak. "How did you know where I'm from?" he asked, his voice sounding surprisingly calm.

"Your bag has Northsilver's symbol attached to it." Victor pointed out, not unkindly, gesturing to the bag lying near Yuuri's hip.

The pharmacist looked in disbelief, but found that there was indeed a small, silver rose pendant clasped onto the strap of his bag. He wanted to kick himself for missing such an obvious detail.

"Do you need help? Are you in some kind of trouble?" Victor asked.

Yuuri looked into the other boy's eyes, trying to search for any hidden intentions behind his words, but all he could detect was concern. Yuuri's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Don't take this the wrong way, but why do you care? I mean, We just met today. You don't even know me."

Victor looked at Yuuri, undeterred. "That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to care." He said firmly.

Yuuri had no idea how to respond to that, so he didn't; picking at blades of grass nervously instead.

Victor's expression softened. "I want to help you, Yuuri. But I can't do that if you don't tell me anything" he said gently.

Yuuri drew his knees close to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them. He still didn't understand why Victor was so insistent on helping out an almost complete stranger, but so far he had been nothing but kind, and had given no signs of having any ulterior motives. And Yuuri _did_ want to trust him…

"Are you really sure you want to know?" he asked, giving Victor one last chance to take it back and send him away.

"Yes." Victor nodded. There was no doubt in his voice.

"Okay then." Yuuri said, sending him a tiny smile that quickly disappeared, before tightening his arms around his knees, trying to make himself as small as possible.

Victor returned Yuuri's tiny smile with a small but encouraging one of his own.

Yuuri drew in a deep breath to steady himself, and stared at the ground. There was no way he'd be able to say this while looking Victor in the eye.

"I ran away because a few days ago, somebody I had never met before showed up at my shop. He told me that I had been… invited, to be a-" he paused, clearing his throat. This was even more awkward than he had expected. "an escort, for a very important person." He finished, eyes still locked onto the forest floor in front of him.

There was no reply, and a prickling feeling of unease ran down Yuuri's spine, but he refused to look up. His pulse began to race. The longer the silence stretched out though, the more the uncomfortable feeling grew, until Yuuri finally had to tear his gaze up to see the look on the other boy's face.

Victor looked shocked, as if that had been the last thing he had been expecting, and his nose was wrinkled in disgust. When he noticed the worried expression that the pharmacist was wearing though, he gave him a small smile of reassurance. "Don't look so nervous. It's not you, I just…" Victor sighed and shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry that that happened to you. It's good that you managed to get away."

"I didn't have a choice." Yuuri said simply.

Victor nodded solemnly in agreement, and shifted back to lean against the tree trunk again. This time, he sat much closer that before, and Yuuri tried to ignore the fact that their shoulders were now pressed together.

"So what now? What's your plan? Do you know where you're going?" Victor asked curiously.

Yuuri frowned in thought for a moment. "I guess I could always go to Crystalbridge? It would be easy for me to get a job there, since I'm a pharmacist."

Crystalbridge was the kingdom neighboring Northsilver to the east. Yuuri had never been there personally, but he had heard that it was much more advanced in terms of studying medicine.

Victor jolted in surprise, but quickly nodded in agreement. "Yes, it would. You're definitely talented enough. And Crystalbridge is a lovely place. I think that's a great idea!" he smiled deceptively innocently.

Yuuri narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Let me guess: you live there, don't you." He said sarcastically.

Victor's smile widened. "I do!" he said happily.

Yuuri's jaw dropped. "Wait, _seriously?_ I was joking!"

"Actually, I'm the P-" Victor's eyes widened, and he clamped his jaw shut. "Yes, I live there." He said, laughing sheepishly. "We're here to visit a friend, but when we leave you should come with us!" he suggested excitedly.

Yuuri smiled at his enthusiasm. "If you're sure, then I would love to." his face heated, and he looked at the ground. "I'd much rather go with you than by myself." He admitted quietly.

Victor didn't reply for a minute. "Wow. You are full of surprises, Yuuri." He said finally, his tone unreadable.

The pharmacist nervously looked up to peek at Victor's expression.

The other boy had turned his face away, and he had a hand pressed to his mouth. His cheeks were flushed.

Yuuri couldn't stop the laughter that escaped his mouth at the other boy's flustered appearance.

Victor pouted, and looked offended at first, but after a moment, he was laughing just as hard as Yuuri. The two couldn't seem to regain control over themselves, so they simply sat there, laughing like a pair of idiots for the longest time.

Victor was the first to recover. "We should probably start heading back. That friend I mentioned we were visiting should be here soon." He said, standing up and brushing himself off. He turned to offer a hand to help Yuuri up, but the pharmacist had already gotten to his feet.

"Okay." Yuuri agreed, gathering his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. He and Victor shared a brief smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Victor exclaimed. "My friend is actually from Northsilver, too. You probably know him."

"I highly doubt that." Yuuri said. "But maybe. Stranger things have happened." He shrugged.

As the two of them made their way out of the forest, about a good hundred or so feet away from where Yuuri and Victor had been, somebody sneezed.

"Dammit." Yuri cursed, wiping harshly at his nose. "Why did we have to follow them all the way out here anyway?" he asked, annoyed.

Otabek didn't bother pointing out that it had been Yuri's idea in the first place. "Well? Is he still so suspicious to you?"

Yuri scowled. "No." He spat, as if it physically pained him to admit it. "But I still don't like him. There doesn't need to be two Yuri's" He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Of course." Otabek rolled his eyes and smiled fondly.

* * *

Victor looked up at the sky with a frown. "Wow, it's later than I thought. I wonder if he's already here." He said, mostly to himself. He and Yuuri were almost back at the mansion.

Yuuri hummed absently in response. He was growing more and more curious about this _'friend'_ Victor kept mentioning.

The two of them finally arrived at the entrance of the stone gate surrounding the mansion, to see that there was a carriage driven by two powerful looking black stallions sitting just in front of the building, marked with a silver rose.

Not far away, a figure with short, two toned blond and brown hair was sitting on the stone steps before the door.

' _Wait a second, isn't that-'_

Yuuri froze so suddenly he stumbled, and heard a gasp escape his lips. He quickly moved away from the entryway of the gate, and his back slammed harshly against the outer stone wall.

' _There's no way…'_ he tried to convince himself, but there was no denying that he recognized that unusual hair. It was impossible not to, considering that he had seen it in countless portraits growing up. Although, usually, there was a crown resting on top of it.

' _That's the Prince.'_ Yuuri thought numbly, briefly wondering if he was hallucinating because _why on earth was the Prince here!?_

He vaguely processed that Victor had stopped walking as well, and had turned to look at the pharmacist questioningly.

' _That's the Prince!'_ reality sunk in, and Yuuri's heart started pounding wildly. His eyes darted frantically around, searching for an escape route.

Distantly, he felt a hand placed on his shoulder.

' _What is he doing here? How did he find me?'_ Yuuri's breath caught in his throat.

Victor spoke, but his voice sounded muffled and far away.

' _Was he following me?'_ his blood ran cold at the thought. He wanted to throw up.

A firm, but not painful, squeeze on the pharmacist's shoulders snapped him back to reality.

Panicked brown eyes met uncertain blue ones.

"uri, Yuuri!" Victor's voice was heavy with concern, and a little fear.

Yuuri flinched, and tried to move away, but only succeeded in pressing himself further against the wall.

"Yuuri, what's wrong? What happened?" Victor asked, subconsciously tightening his grip on the other boy's shoulders. He sounded as worried as Yuuri felt.

"That's," Yuuri said, but his voice came out choked. He cleared his throat, and tried again. "That's him. The one I was telling you about. The one who wanted me to…" he looked at his feet.

Victor abruptly let go of Yuuri, and took a step back. He looked sick to his stomach.

"Victor?" Yuuri's panic was dulled slightly by confusion.

"You're sure?" Victor asked, sounding pained.

Yuuri nodded shakily.

Victor squeezed his eyes shut, and brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. _"Dammit, Chris!"_ he hissed under his breath.

' _Chris?'_ Yuuri mentally noted the casual use of the Prince's first name.

Victor opened his eyes again, and they were full of… an apology?

"I am so, _so_ sorry, Yuuri. I can't believe that Chris would do something like-" Victor paused, sighed deeply, and shook his head. "Actually I can." he said, smiling ruefully.

' _What?'_ Yuuri was even more confused now, because it was almost seemed like Victor _knew_ the Prince.

"Look, he's really not a bad person. I don't think that he meant any harm." Victor frowned. "Even though he did do something _incredibly_ stupid and inconsiderate."

Yuuri's head was spinning. "Wait." He said, struggling to process everything. "You know the prince? How?" he asked incredulously.

"He's a good friend." Victor rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "He's actually who I came here to visit." he confessed.

Yuuri was too stunned to say anything.

"Let me talk to him, I'll straighten this out. What he did was out of line." Victor said.

Yuuri's spine stiffened and his heart rate increased at the thought of having to talk to the Prince.

Victor noticed the boy's obvious discomfort. "It's okay. I know he won't, but if he tries anything, I'll stop him." he promised, and he sounded so confident that Yuuri really had no choice but to believe him.

The pharmacist nodded mutely.

Victor smiled, and it was somehow both relieved and remorseful. He patted Yuuri once on the shoulder reassuringly, and turned to walk through the gateway.

Breathing deeply to gather his courage, Yuuri followed, his feet feeling like lead.

"Chris." Victor called, approaching the boy still seated on the stone steps in front of the mansion.

Said boy looked up upon hearing his name, and recognition flashed in his eyes. He smiled widely. "Vitya!" he exclaimed happily.

Yuuri watched, bewildered, as Christophe Giacometti, crowned Prince of the kingdom of Northsilver, and first heir to the throne, practically leapt to his feet, and ran to fling his arms around Victor, who didn't even stumble, as if this were a regular occurrence.

Yuuri couldn't help but notice just how dangerously low his hands were resting on Victor's back.

"Where have you been? I've been waiting for you." Christophe complained, burying his face into Victor's shoulder. "You'll never guess what happened." his voice was slightly muffled now.

Victor raised an eyebrow. "I think I may have some idea." He said flatly.

"I got rejected!" Christophe looked up, and continued as if Victor had not spoken. "I invited a pharmacist my royal messenger told me about to come to the palace, and he ran away!"

"Oh, is that so?" Victor feigned surprise.

"I actually went to his shop when he never showed up, and this angry brown haired girl almost threw a chair at me!" Christophe said, sounding scandalized.

"Really?" Victor asked, and this time his surprise was genuine. He sent Yuuri a questioning look.

Yuuri paled. _'Yuuko, no! What were you thinking?'_

"Yes! It was terrifying." Christophe shuddered.

"I'm sure it was." Victor said unsympathetically.

"I just wanted to find out where he went. He was _so_ cute, Vitya. I saw a picture of him and almost died." Christophe sighed dreamily.

"I can understand that." Victor said quietly, probably not intending for anyone to hear him.

Yuuri heard him anyway, and his face flamed. A sound somewhat similar to a strangled mouse escaped him.

Christophe let go of Victor, startled at the noise, and turned to search for its source. His lips parted and his eyes widened when he noticed Yuuri standing barely ten feet away.

Victor walked to stand next to Yuuri.

"Chris, this is Yuuri. But you already knew that." Victor said pleasantly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I think you owe him an apology."

Christophe's gaze flickered between the two in confusion.

Yuuri resisted the urge to just curl up into a ball and sink into the floor.

* * *

"I'm sorry!" Christophe cried, clutching Yuuri's hands desperately.

Yuuri smiled nervously. He had been caught off guard, but he had still gratefully appreciated the Prince's heartfelt apology.

The first time.

This was about the fifth time now, in less than two minutes.

"It's okay, really I-" Yuuri was too overwhelmed to speak coherently.

"Chris." Victor was smiling, but his tone was severe. "Yuuri has already accepted your apology. There's no need to be so excessive." He said, eying Christophe and Yuuri's clasped hands warily.

"But Vitya, I haven't apologized nearly enough!" Christophe protested, tightening his grip around Yuuri's hands. "I didn't even think about how insolent I was being."

Yuuri sent Victor a look expressing his helplessness in this situation.

Victor's smile never fell, but his fingers twitched, and curled into his palms.

Yuri rolled his eyes, and huffed out a breath of air. "Prince Cristophe, the idiot wants you to let go of him." He said, pointing at Yuuri.

Yuri and Otabek had wandered back to the mansion sometime after Christophe had arrived. When Victor had asked them where they had been, he was answered by mumbled vague excuses about taking a stroll through the woods.

Yuuri didn't want to make any assumptions, but Yuri's ponytail _was_ awfully disheveled…

Christophe eyebrows raised. "Oh, really? How interesting." he said, looking at Victor mischievously. "VItya, are you jeal-"

Victor cut off the Prince's question by marching over and firmly removing his hands from Yuuri's. "That's enough of that." He said, shooting Christophe with a warning gaze.

Yuuri smiled at Victor gratefully.

"Ah, I see how it is." Christophe sighed, eyes drifting between the two of them. "Very well then, but you're no fun." He said, his lips quirked up knowingly.

Victor pretended to clutch his chest in pain at the accusation.

Christophe laughed. "I'm afraid I must be going now anyway. I hate to deprive you all of my presence, but I _do_ have a kingdom to run. I'm sure you know how it is." he winked at Victor.

"Oh no, however will we go on?" Victor said dryly, but despite his words, he moved forward to capture Christophe in a hug.

"Well, if you run _your_ kingdom correctly, you won't have time to miss me, now will you?" Christophe said, returning the hug with equal strength.

Yuuri's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. _'Am I missing something here?'_ He knew all too well that Christophe was a Prince, but why were they making it sound as of Victor was royalty as well?

Yuri noticed the boy's bewildered expression. "Wait, did he not tell you?" he asked, frowning.

"Um, no? Tell me what?" Yuuri asked curiously.

"Unbelievable." Yuri slapped his palm against his forehead.

Yuuri frowned. He _really_ wanted some answers now.

"Victor, I think you forgot something." Yuri said, jerking his thumb to point at Yuuri.

Victor pulled away from Christophe to glance at Yuri questioningly, and followed the trail of his finger to see Yuuri's confused face. "Yuuri, what's wrong? What did I forget to-" he fell silent, and something like realization flashed in his eyes. "Oh no."

Christophe raised an eyebrow. "Vitya, did you not tell him that you were a Prince?" he scolded.

"I forgot." Victor said defensively, nervously trying to judge Yuuri's reaction.

Yuuri felt like he had been punched in the stomach.

 _Victor_ was a Prince.

Victor was a _Prince._

No matter how he put it, it was still hard to believe.

"Oh, Vitya. That memory of yours is a real problem." Christophe sighed.

Victor was too busy staring at Yuuri worriedly to respond.

"I would love to stay and see how this plays out, but I'm afraid my time is up. Good luck, Vitya." Christophe winked, and climbed onto his carriage. Usually, he would have a chauffeur, but he had elected to drive himself to visit his friend.

"Safe travels, Your Majesty." Yuri and Otabek bowed, bidding the Prince farewell.

Christophe waved his goodbye, took the reins, and shook them. The two beautiful black stallions attached to the carriage began to move, and he was quickly gone from sight.

"Yuuri?" Victor called tentatively. "I promise I was going to tell you. I just have a really bad memory." He said, rubbing his arm sheepishly.

Yuuri blinked, but didn't say anything.

Yuri looked slightly impressed. "Wow, nice going, moron. I think you broke him.

* * *

Victor explained everything.

Yuuri learned that his full name was Victor Nikiforov, and that he was the Prince of Crystalbridge. Yuri and Otabek were actually his attendants, and had accompanied him on his impromptu visit with Christophe. Suddenly, the blond's earlier caution made much more sense.

"So what are you going to do now?" Victor asked.

Yuuri's eyebrows raised in confusion.

"You're still welcome, of course, but you don't have to come with us anymore, if you don't want to." Victor said evenly."I can assure you that Chris will no longer be a bother."

"I guess that's true." Yuuri said hesitantly. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do.

"You could go back home." Victor smiled, but it was strained, and his voice sounded sad.

Something heavy settled in Yuuri's chest.

 _Home._

Yuuko, Takeshi, his customers. He could have that again, if he wanted.

The decision was almost too easy.

"No."

Victor's fake smile slipped into an expression of shock. "No?" he asked, and there was a hint of hope in his eyes.

"No. I still want to go to Crystalbridge." Yuuri repeated, sounding far more confident than he felt. It didn't last long though, and his next words came out shaky. "If it's okay with you, that is. And if you're sure that I won't be any more of a burden than I already have been. I wouldn't want to impose or inconvenience you-"

"Yuuri, it's _more_ than okay." Victor said gently, putting an end to the boy's nervous rambling. "I _want_ you to come with us, so you would hardly be imposing."

Yuuri inwardly sighed in relief.

"It's like you said earlier." Victor said teasingly. "I'd much rather go with you than by myself." He echoed Yuuri's confession.

Yuuri's face warmed greatly.

"But it's a big decision, moving to a new country. I want you to be sure. So, I'll ask one more time, and I won't be upset if you decide you want to return home after all." Victor said.

He extended his hand.

"Is this what you want?"

His tone was serious, but his smile was wide and genuine, and his blue eyes were sparkling with barely concealed hope.

Yuuri smiled back, and as he reached out to take Victor's hand, he was certain that he had never felt more sure of anything in his life.

"Yes."

Their hands fit together perfectly.

* * *

~ _ **Extra- Set about an hour after leaving for Crystalbridge~**_

"I think we have a problem." Victor said seriously.

' _Oh no, not another one.'_ Yuuri pleaded silently.

Yuri rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "And what might that be?"

"You're Yuri." Victor said, pointing at the blond. "But you're also Yuuri." He added, gesturing to the pharmacist. "This could get very confusing." He held his chin in his hand.

Yuuri silently gave a sigh of relief that that was their greatest concern at the moment.

Yuri scowled, and crossed his arms across his chest. "Give him a nickname then." he said dismissively.

Victor frowned. "No. He's older than you. Not to mention that you already have a nickname."

Otabek snickered.

""No way in hell!" Yuri exclaimed.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot that Otabek's the only one allowed to call you Yura. My apologies." Victor said sarcastically.

"Damn right he is." Yuri said proudly.

"Yuri!" Victor whined. "Otabek, tell him to let me…" he paused, and an excited glint entered his eyes.

' _I have a bad feeling about this.'_ Yuuri thought warily.

Yuri noticed the silence as well."Hey, what are you-"

"Yuri… Otabek." Victor said slowly.

Yuuri furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"What are you getting at?" Yuri asked suspiciously.

"Yuri. Otabek. Yuri-o?"

Yuri let out a strangled noise

Victor clapped his hands together. "That's it! From now on, you're Yurio!" he declared.

"No! Beka, make him stop!" the boy yelled.

Otabek smirked. "I don't know, I kind of like it… Yurio." He said casually.

Yuri choked, and his cheeks flamed red. He sputtered a few times, before falling silent. Otabek smiled fondly, and ruffled his hair.

"There, it's settled!" Victor said happily.

Yuuri smiled at their antics.

' _I haven't even known them for two days yet, but I can already tell; this, is going to be interesting.'_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And thus, Yurio was born! Let me know what you thought of the chapter, I love hearing from you guys! And if there were any spelling mistakes or typos, please tell me so I can fix them! I write mostly on my phone, in-between classes so there are probably some things I missed. Also, I will be going on vacation over the weekend, but I promise I will do my best to have chapter three completed as soon as possible.  
Next Chapter: Yurio hates his new nickname, someone tries to kidnap our favorite pharmacist, and Yuuri gets used to living in Crystalbridge; not necessarily in that order.  
(P.S. JFC WHO ELSE IS SHOOK™ ABOUT THE YOI MOVIE ANNOUNCEMENT?!)


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